Is The Nintendo NX Coming Out This Christmas?

Nintendo rumors leak all the time, and rarely turn out to be right. But a recent treasure trove of information released online has recently turned out to be at least partially true, and that might mean Nintendo has a new console coming this holiday season.

The confirmation has to do with the new Pokémon games. Among many other things a huge leak of Nintendo marketing documents on NeoGAF hinted at, it correctly reported the code name for the new games, Niji. Considering it was posted by a well-known Nintendo rumor hunter on NeoGAF, that has some people speculating that the rest of it, including the NX’s purported 2016 launch date, is true.

Is it? While this isn’t the first time we’ve heard this, this would mean the Wii U is essentially being killed off by Nintendo four years after its debut. The Wii U had a rough launch and was quickly surpassed by both the PS4 and the Xbox One, and Nintendo has few, if any, third-party developers to anger by spiking the system. It also has a relatively small install base of 10 million consoles.

That said, Nintendo had a pretty good 2015 with the Wii U, with Smash Bros., Super Mario Maker, Mario Kart, and Splatoon all driving the console’s sales. That last in particular is instructive, as Nintendo has managed to turn the online multiplayer-only shooter into a success while launching a new franchise at the same time. If the NX really is coming, Nintendo might be cutting off the Wii U right when it’s building momentum, especially if the rumor that the next Zelda game is both a Wii U and an NX launch title are true.

We’ll find out soon enough. If Nintendo is launching a new console this year, you can expect an onslaught of hype and precise marketing to the fan base, and if the rumors hold and the chips are up to date, expect to hear about ports from third-party developers.